Versata saps $139m out of SAP

SAP has to pay Versata Software $139m following a court decision that it is infringing on five of Versata's patents.

Versata's lawyers had only asked for $100m or so, according to Bloomberg, but got a bonus $39m from the Texas Jury after it dismissed SAP's claim that it wasn't infringing patents, and that the patents should be ruled invalid because the ideas they protected were too obvious.

The case has been rumbling on for a couple of years now, hinging on Versata-owned patents that cover mechanisms for pricing products. Versata's lawyers told Bloomberg that they will now be seeking an order barring the infringement.

Texas is known to be particularly friendly to patent holders, particularly East Texas where the jury is "much less likely to have a member with any technical training or education", as the Texas Lawyer magazine puts it.

SAP isn't giving up just yet: the company told the newswire it is "reviewing its legal options", but with dropping revenues and expected losses in software sales, a jury that awards the patent holder $39 million more than it asked for is the last thing SAP needs. ®